Dylan: handsome, 25, successful, Dominant

Stacy takes a deep breath. "Can we pinky swear that anything that is said or happens on this trip is Las Vegas?"

Meredith didn't understand. "Vegas is super out of the way, Stacy. Besides, I'm not sure we're old enough to do anything there."

Stacy shakes her head. "No, Dith, I mean, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Like the commercials. What happens in this...what did your dad call it? Fleetwood? What happens in this Fleetwood stays in this Fleetwood?"

Meredith didn't hate the sound of that request. It meant she could be completely honest about all of the rumors Stacy may have heard about her. But she was also aware that Stacy clearly had an ulterior motive to protect something about her "friend." Still, she didn't see any reason to not agree to it. "Sure. Let's name this RV 'Vegas'."

Stacy held out her pinky. Meredith, briefly taking her eyes off the road, wraps her pinky around Stacy's. The moment made her feel nostalgia for when they were friends. When pinky swears we're unbreakable. Both of the girls quietly wondered if that was still the case considering the state of their relationship. Neither had a good reason to trust the other except for what felt like their shared ancient history. But if Stacy was going to see her friend this is how it had to be.

"I swear on our pinkies to hold our secrets close," Stacy says recalling their pledge.

"And may the pinky of the promise-breaker shatter," Meredith finishes.

When the two girls originally came up with the pledge they voted that if a promise was ever broken the violator would have the right to break the pinky of the other. Meredith remembers when they made the pledge and briefly wants to tell Stacy "I should break your pinky for violating our pledge to be friends forever," but she allows the thought to pass. She missed these moments so much.

"Road!" Stacy yells, snapping Meredith out of her gaze on the two entwined fingers. She looks back at the highway where she's started drifting into the breakdown lane. Tugging the wheel she pulls back. "Shit, sorry," she says.

Stacy simply shakes her head. The adrenaline is pumping through her veins. "Maybe we should pinky-swear that you don't kill us!"

Meredith mumbles something under her breath before adding loudly "so I swore. Now this friend. Why are they so important that I should lie to my parents...that YOU would lie to your parents?"

Taking a deep breath Stacy blurts out "his name is Dylan and he's my Master."

Meredith is quiet as she tries to decipher the words. "What does that mean? Your...Master?"

"This is so awkward, but yes, a few months ago I started to get interested in kink and BDSM. You know, 50 Shades stuff. So I signed up for a subreddit dedicated to newbies. Anyway, he found me there, we exchanged some orange envelopes and hit it off really well, like, he's really smart and understanding about my..." Stacy trails off for a moment before looping back. "He's really smart and we have shared interests. So we took it off Reddit and ever since he's been guiding me."

Meredith is having a difficult time staying focused on the road. She keeps taking glances at Stacy who is clearly flustered and blushing. She's also speechless at the confession and leaves Stacy in silence for two full minutes.

"What about Tyler?"

Stacy flops back in her seat and gazes out the window. She twirls her hair. "I tell you I'm in an online kinky relationship and your first question is about him?" The irritation rolls off her tongue like mercury.

"Well, yeah, I mean, you've been together forever. Does he...know?"

"No, and we pinky swore, remember, so he isn't going to find out, right?" Stacy's guilt puts her on the defense.

"Sheesh, Stace, did you really think I wouldn't ask about him?"

"No, Meredith, because I DIDN'T THINK I'd be stuck traveling with you. Can we just not talk about Tyler?"

Meredith was taken aback by Stacy snapping. She really didn't want the trip to fall apart so early so she decided to drop the Tyler topic, for now. "Right, sure, sorry. I didn't know it was such a sensitive topic. So, um, what's this guy's name?"

Stacy didn't really want to play 20 questions about her relationship but didn't see much of a choice with the hundreds of miles of road ahead of them. Plus, she acknowledged, she'd need to play nice with Meredith if she was going to get to see Dylan.

"Dylan. His name is Dylan, but I don't really call him by his name very often. It's a rule."

Meredith was a little worried about this random online stranger having power like this over Stacy. "You call him Master?"

"Mmm. Not really. If I'm ever in a formal setting with him, like with other Doms, I need to, but usually, I call him Sir."

"Sir, okay, so...I'm sorry Stacy I really don't understand. He's your boyfriend?"

Stacy keeps looking out the window as her voice gets low. "Maybe. Sorta. I don't know. We're supposed to formalize his ownership of me when I meet him for the first time, but it feels weird to call him my boyfriend. It's so much more than that. So much more than what I have with Tyler."

Meredith laughs. "Now don't get mad at me because you brought him up this time."

Stacy releases a frustrated sigh. "It's really complicated, Meredith. I don't completely understand why I'm this way."

"Vegas, Stacy. Anything you say stays in Vegas."

There's a long pause before Stacy says anything. "I really like how he isn't afraid to tell me to do stuff. Like, help me explore my body and my thoughts. It's sometimes really dirty. My parents would kill me if they knew even half of the things he pulled from my fantasies and made me admit. I mean, we’re having fun in ways I can’t with Tyler. The best way to describe it is roleplay and going to see him, well, I don’t think anything will come of it except two nights of..." Stacy trails off and returns to looking out the window.

Meredith is in shock hearing Stacy's confession. She can't help but let her mind wander thinking about what those things could possibly be. She shifts in the driver's seat as she feels a weird emotion creeping in. It takes her a moment to recognize it's the same emotion she felt when Stacy started dating Tyler. She managed to bury it over the last two years, but here it was again: jealousy.

The driver reminds herself that it was simply a phase and that she isn't into girls - especially not Stacy. That was a one-time mistake. She looks at the console and sees the gas tank creeping toward a quarter tank. She figured it would be a good idea to stop at the next rest area. Plus, she’s relieved to have an excuse to change the subject.

"Oh, look at that! We’re not even out of New York State. My Dad said this thing was terrible on mileage. I’m going to stop at the next truck stop so we can get gas. Do you want to run in and grab a phone charger?”

Stacy was happy about the break from the conversation for a couple of reasons. The first was that she was surprised by the words that came from her mouth and her confession. She’d never told anyone about her relationship with Dylan. She was also a little annoyed by Meredith’s long pause of silence after she said it. She worried it was too much for Meredith and that she’d be outed. “I’m going to get ready for the stop,” Stacy says so she can get out of the cab of the RV.

The other reason was her agreement with Dylan. She’d completely forgotten about it as she adjusted to having a travel companion and leaving her car behind. Yesterday Dylan had sent her a list of a dozen rules. Every time Stacy crosses a state line she’s supposed to choose one of the rules and send Dylan an email as to what she chose. He said it would help her feel more like she belonged to him the closer she got to him. “It gives you the freedom of choice,” he wrote, “while acknowledging you’re mine.” She crossed into New York from Connecticut without making a selection and felt guilty.

As Stacy climbs into the back of the RV she looks at her phone and opens the email that says “Choose Your Own Adventure: The Rules.”

By design, there were more rules than state lines. Stacy knew that choice was His gift. The Rules were a mix of usual long-distance D/s tasks but also Dylan’s specific brand of roleplay preference.